Detox
by pfna30n
Summary: Tony is sick with palladium poisoning. Pepper helps him through it. Tony/Pepper. H/C/Fluff/Romance.
1. Chapter 1

Pepper held Tony's head as he vomited into the basin. She could scarcely believe he was allowing her to see him like this, although, he hadn't really had much of a choice in the matter. He'd fallen ill shortly after they arrived home from the disaster area that had been Stark Expo, muttering something about palladium, chlorophyll and the suit.

He was barely able to remain standing while robotic arms removed his armor. The shop was silent save for his own labored breathing, and the high pitched whir of gears as the arms struggled to compensate for his erratic swaying. As usual, he'd attempted to dissuade her concern with try-hard bravado, brushing the tremors off as a post-battle adrenaline crash. She knew better. After being under the employ of Mr. Stark for nearly a decade, she knew of two modes that Tony operated in: Fine, and pretending to be fine. Right now, he was pretending to be fine-- badly.

Having seen it many times before, she knew that this act was more for his own dignity than anything else. She knew how badly he hated being dependent on others in that way, especially her, so this song and dance was important to him. Quietly ignoring his attempts to push her away, she guided him upstairs to his suite. He stumbled on the stairs, leaning heavily into her, "Pep..." he muttered into her ear, "... thanks."

"Of course, Boss," she replied gently, tightening her grip around his waist, eliciting a grimace of pain from Tony, which disappeared as quickly as it had come. She pretended not to notice, but made a mental note to check for broken ribs later.

"Don't call me boss..." he slurred.

"Ok, sir." said Pepper.

"Don't call me sir, Pep!" he wheezed, clearly agitated with her.

She blushed, remembering the rooftop kiss they'd shared only hours ago, "Ok, Tony," she smirked, savoring the feel of his name on her lips.

He'd let it slip on the phone that he was sick, dying, even. On the trip back to Malibu, he'd told her a little bit about the palladium, and how he'd finally found a replacement. Now her was heavy with worry for him.

She of course knew what palladium was, and that it powered the small arc reactor that kept him alive. But she had never suspected that it would leach into his body, that it had been killing him. Neither had he, not until it was almost too late. Even though he'd found a palladium-alternative to power the arc reactor, he had some pretty serious heavy-metal detox ahead of him. He wasn't out of the woods yet.

She heard a soft groan as his head sagged in her arms, signaling that this latest spell had finally ended. "Tony?" she spoke softly, brushing back sweat-dampened locks of dark hair from his forehead, "Can I get you anything?"

"A new body?" he quipped, ever the smartass.

"No..." she scolded gently, "I meant-- water, tylenol?"

"Morphine?" he shot back.

"Sorry, fresh out." she retorted, not much in the mood to play games with him.

"Pep... everything aches. God..." he whined.

"I know, Tony. I'm sorry." she bent to kiss his forehead, "I'm going to get you something to drink, and some pain meds," she turned to leave.

"Owwww..." his face contorted in pain as he clutched his stomach. Pepper was at his side in an instant, rubbing his back in a gesture of support, "Cramps?"

He nodded vaguely, "Yeah... shit." he cursed, "Worst hangover ever."

After what seemed like minutes, the cramps eased off, the tension lines in his face subsiding with them.

"I'll be right back," said Pepper.

Tony was left alone with his thoughts. Right now, he was scared. Would never admit it to anyone, but he was terrified of dying.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow thanks for all of the reviews! :^) 3 Rilakuma, thank you for the suggestion. I wrote your request into this chapter.

_He needs to see a doctor. I should take him to the hospital._ These were the only thoughts that ran through Pepper's mind as she stood at the sink in Tony's kitchen, filling a glass with cold water. "I can make him go," she said to herself, staring into the darkness outside of the kitchen window, "he'd make us both miserable in the process, but eventually he'd give in."

She knew it was true because she'd had to do it once, several years ago, when he'd given himself alcohol poisoning. Shaking her head, she realized she must be crazy-- or crazy about him-- to put up with his self-destructive behavior. And of course, he never hesitated to play the "tortured genius" card whenever she mentioned his escapades-- it drove her absolutely around the bend.

Shutting off the tap, she walked briskly to the nearest bathroom, opened a cabinet door, and retrieved the First Aid kit from inside. There was nothing in the kit that could leach the palladium out of his body, but she hoped to at least relieve some of his symptoms and tend his injuries.

Tony was lying on the bed where she'd left him, feeling like crap in more ways than one. Hearing her come in, he called out, "Pep..."

"I'm here... brought you something," she said, handing him four tylenol and the glass of water. Wincing, he sat up enough to swallow some water with the pills. Any relief would be a welcome respite.

She took the glass from him and placed it on the bedside table, "Help me take your clothes off," she said, reaching for the button on his pants.

"About time," he smirked, struggling to pull off his shirt without grimacing. It hurt to move.

She grinned "I assure you, Mr. Stark, it's nothing like that," she replied, blushing a little in spite of herself as she pulled his pants down carefully and removed his shoes and socks. She folded the garments neatly and placed them on a chair beside his bed.

The glow from his arc reactor brightened the room, and drew her eye, "Oh my God, Tony, what's..." she leaned closer to his chest, not quite believing her eyes. Her hand hovered over the complex network of raised, silver veins, before reaching out hesitantly to touch him.

He sucked in a sharp breath as the contact sent pains shooting through his chest. She could feel his body shudder at her touch.

"Pepper-- don't!" he gasped, a hand shot out to brush hers away.

"What are those things?" she asked, alarmed.

"I'm not exactly sure, but it's from the palladium. The toxicity levels are... are very high right now," he replied vaguely, "Speaking of which, could you do me a huge favor?"

He sent her to his workshop to retrieve the toxicity meter. Placing his index finger on the sensor, he waited patiently for the familiar needle prick and subsequent readout. "Shit..." he cursed aloud before he could catch himself.

"What is it?" asked Pepper, leaning in close to see.

He withdrew the device from her prying eyes, quickly clearing the readout, "Toxicity has gone up, even though I've stopped using palladium in the reactor. I guess there is some latency with how my body absorbed it..."

The device had reported 96% toxicity. He felt that she didn't need to know. Besides, he was fairly sure the device had a +/- 5% margin of error, and he'd decided to believe the readout was 5% higher than the actual toxicity of his blood. It was as good a day as any to be an optimist, Tony thought.

Pepper's eyes had filled with tears, "How long have you been keeping this from me?"

"Too long," he confessed, his face pained, "I didn't want you to worry--"

"And you think I'm not worried now?" she shot back, "At least if you'd told me earlier, maybe I could have done _something!_" anger crept into her voice.

He knew she was at least partially right, though he wouldn't admit it, "No, you couldn't have. But, I tried to tell you, Pep. Remember?" he pleaded.

Her expression softened as the realization dawned, "That day in the office... the strawberries," a stray tear trickled down her cheek, "I'm so sorry, Tony. I- I-" she drew a shuddering breath.

"Hey," he smiled with as much charm as he could muster, "Don't worry about it, ok?" he reached up to stroke her hair.

Suddenly, the room started spinning, "Ugh..." he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to block out the vertigo, "So dizzy..." he muttered.

Pepper reached for his hand and gave it a light squeeze, which he returned. Waves of nausea overwhelmed him, "Sick..." he managed, clamping a hand over his mouth.

Pepper quickly placed the basin next to him, though there was hardly a need. There was nothing left in his stomach. He leaned over the basin for minutes, his body wracked with dry heaves, and brought up only bile. The pain in his ribs was nearly unbearable now.

"You need to see a doctor," Pepper said, her voice unsteady, "please."

Tony collapsed with a groan, wiping a hand across his mouth, "No," he panted, "No doctors. No hospitals."

"This is dangerous," she pressed, "this is your life!"

He shook his head, "Nothing they can do that I can't do here."

"That's such a lie!" she retorted, "What if I call a private doctor? It will all be on your terms."

Pepper always had a way of getting what she wanted, Tony thought. He felt so awful, he found himself entertaining her suggestion, "On my terms, only. And not until tomorrow."

She nodded, grateful for the progress.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Wow, thanks for all of the reviews, you guys are great! :^)

RevolutionChick-- I love your ideas. I'll be using them in upcoming chapters if that's ok! Heheh, "Dr. Pepper"

Rilakuma-- I'd love to put some dad-related angst into the story. Those scenes in the movie were indeed heartbreaking. :^( I think it would be interesting to see Tony open up to Pepper about it.

onelife01-- Excellent idea about Fury's treatment. But remember he said it wasn't a cure, but would only alleviate the symptoms?

Pepper sat in a chair beside Tony's bed, reading quietly. She was far too wound up for sleep. Plus she wasn't about to leave him alone, as sick as he was.

Tony's pain came in waves, making sleep next to impossible for him, though he needed it badly. She could tell when he dozed off: his breath took on an even rhythm, his features relaxing somewhat. These brief stints of rest tended to last anywhere from ten minutes to half an hour, before he'd be jolted back to consciousness with a barely-stifled cry of pain.

She resisted the urge to reach out to him as he shifted uncomfortably on the bed, eyes still closed, struggling to find a position that didn't hurt as much as the others.

Pepper felt as though she had to walk a fine line between caring for him, and being overbearing. Like most men Tony hated admitting that he was sick, or hurt. It wasn't so much that he didn't want to be cared for, rather, it bruised his ego to admit he needed any care at all.

She heard him stirring, and peered over her book. She could see his face reflected in the cool glow of the arc reactor. It was covered with a sheen of sweat, and she'd never seen him so pale. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Squeezing his eyes shut, his face twisted in agony, while his hands clutched fistfuls of bedding, "Pep..." he called out, his voice sounded distant and weak.

"I'm right here," she replied, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. She placed her other hand on his brow, smoothing back his dark locks

"Thanks," he said, "This is bad... ow... ow.... ow... it's... getting worse." he sucked in a sharp breath through clenched teeth

He wasn't sure why the pain was so intense now, compared to hours before. And his head was reeling with the worst migraine he'd ever had. He attributed it to the symptom-suppressant that Fury had given him wearing off. Or, perhaps the toxicity level in his blood was on the rise. He didn't want to think about the latter.

This was breaking Pepper's heart. She wondered to herself how many nights he'd spent suffering alone like this, "Is there anything I can do?"

He shook his head slowly, "Just.... stay..." he said, "please."

"Of course," she replied. Bringing his hand to her face, she kissed it gently. He looked at her then, and she could see the gratitude in his eyes.

The movement cast light from her reading lamp onto his neck, revealing a network of spidery, silver-colored veins. "Jesus Tony, what's on your neck?" she dropped his hand and leaned in closer to examine the grid of silver creeping up past his shirt. It bore a striking resemblance to the cryptic pattern that marred his chest.

"Yeah... it's... the same stuff," he said, "--look but don't touch." he added.

She clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes filling with tears, "How long has it been like this...?" she asked, voice breaking.

"This bad? A few weeks, tops. I was able to keep it under control until the chlorophyll stopped working," he replied. His reactor had been poisoning him slowly for the past nine months, but he'd had no symptoms for some time.

"And before?" she wasn't letting this go.

"Before?" he was playing dumb.

"How long have you been sick?" she cut to the chase.

"Ah... I.... I guess it started, maybe, four months ago?" he replied sheepishly, refusing to meet her eyes.

She was both amazed and disappointed that he'd managed to hide it so well, and for so long. Sometimes he was too smart for his own good. Part of her wanted to know why he had felt as though this was something he had to deal with on his own, why he hadn't confided in her. She wanted badly to ask, and get a straight answer-- but she knew that would never happen. He'd give some retort about how it was his business and he didn't owe anybody an explanation, and that he can take care of his own problems.

A nagging question ran though the back of her mind, _Who __**did **__he tell? Was__ I the last to know? Would he have told me at all if he could have avoided it-- or would I have walked in to find him dead one day? _As burning as these questions were, she would have to save them for another time.

Pepper wondered what the doctor would say in the morning. She'd already contacted Happy and asked him to secure a physician for the morning, emphasizing the importance of confidentiality and experience treating patients who had had prolonged exposure to large amounts of heavy metals.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews! :^) More please! (hint: they make me write faster) ;^) Also, this chapter is a little longer than my previous ones.

xx xx xx xx

Tony woke with a start, heart pounding. He was plagued by an overwhelming sense of dread that had followed him into consciousness. In his dream, he was back at the Expo. Vanko's drones had self-destructed, and Pepper was missing.

The air was thick with acrid smoke, and the filtration system in his suit was unable to keep up-- it made his nostrils burn and his eyes water, breathing was difficult. Turning a corner, he saw a body lying prone on the ground. Through the haze, he was able to discern that it was a woman with a slight build. As he drew closer, he could see that she had long hair. Light colored... red. Panic welled in his chest, it could only be... "Pepper!" he cried. No response. He ran to her side, reaching out a gloved hand to touch her. Cradling her head in his arms, he found that her hair was matted with blood. Frantic, he searched for a pulse, but found none, "No!"-- then he woke up.

He drew a shaky breath and ran a hand through his tousled hair. _It was just a dream, that's all. Just a dream..._ he though to himself, over and over, holding his head in his hands. The early light of dawn was just beginning to spill into his bedroom around the edges of drawn, heavy curtains.

Turning his head, he could see Pepper sleeping soundly, reclined in a nearby chair. The steady rise and fall of her chest brought him much-needed comfort. But he wished desperately for her to share his bed. He was a little hurt that she had not seen fit to... after last night-- well, he'd thought-- _Don't think. She's not like the others, Tony,_ he admonished himself.

As the adrenaline from his dream subsided, he became acutely aware of how much pain he was in. He shuddered, swallowing the bile that rose in his throat. With a grimace, he carefully turned onto his side so that he could reach his bedside table. Picking up the toxicity meter, he pressed it to his index finger and waited. The readout flashed: 90% Sighing, he felt as though a weight had been lifted off of his chest.

Tony knew that the reduction in blood toxicity was only due to his inactivity during sleep. He was merely relieved that toxicity had not risen overnight. Heavy metals don't leave the human body easily-- a period of detox is required to purge the metal from the body.

His head reeling, he glanced at his watch: 7:40AM. Pepper stirred, stretching. Eyes still closed, she sighed contentedly. Tony's gaze lingered on her, _my god, she's beautiful_, he thought to himself. "Morning..." he said quietly, with a half-smile.

She started, her face immediately full of concern, "Tony-- how're you feeling? Did you sleep?" she was already out of the chair and half way to his side. Tony noted, with some disappointment, that she was still fully clothed in the same outfit she'd worn the previous day.

"Like crap. Not really." he quipped, not much in the mood to be fussed over.

She frowned, kneeling on the floor beside the bed, she placed a hand on his forehead, "Tony, you're burning up."

"Yeah..." he managed, swallowing hard.

"Let me get you some--" she began.

"Stay, Pep," he clutched at her hand, eyes pleading.

She pursed her lips, "Tony, you need--"

"The doctor will be here soon, right?" he pointed out, "I need you. Please."

Against her better judgment she crawled into bed beside a very sick-- and possibly delirious-- Tony Stark. Pulling the covers up around both of them, she wrapped her arms around him gently, so as not to disturb his injured ribs.

She felt him trembling under her hands,_ fever chills,_ she thought, spooning him more closely.

"Mmm... Pepper..." he slurred, relaxing a little in her arms. This was the closest the two of them had ever been.

They fell silent, though neither slept: Tony was in too much pain, and Pepper was too worried about him.

Not thirty minutes later, the phone rang. It was Happy, letting them know that the doctor was downstairs.

xx xx xx xx xx

Doctor Nguyen was amazed that Tony Stark was alive, and bewildered not only by the technological marvel that was buried in his chest, but also by its purpose.

Pepper had taken the doctor aside when he arrived, and asked him to sign a non-disclosure agreement-- as though Tony and his condition were a top secret project. She'd proceeded to explain, at a high level, how the arc reactor worked and what purpose it served.

"The palladium that powered the arc reactor was leaching into his body," she explained.

Doctor Nguyen nodded, not surprised in the least that this had happened. Stark may be a genius, but he was no doctor. Any physician worth his salt would have warned Tony away from embedding palladium in his chest. He'd used an engineering approach to solve a biological problem, and it had backfired.

The situation was serious, while the doctor had treated a handful of patients with metal toxicity levels as critical as Tony's, those patients remained in the hospital and under close observation during the treatment and recovery process.

"This is going to be very," he paused, looking for the right word, "... difficult... to do at home, Mr. Stark. I strongly advise that you go in for--"

"Not happening." said Tony, "I hate hospitals. I have everything I need here. How much would it cost to keep you on staff?"

Pepper rolled her eyes, she was embarrassed by how difficult he was being, "Tony, don't--"

The doctor interrupted, "I can be on call, but I cannot remain at this location for the duration of your treatment. I have many other patients to tend to. And they're in hospitals," Doctor Nguyen said curtly. He was accustomed to patients being difficult and refusing to follow his advice. Given Iron Man's reputation, he was not surprised to find Tony one of the most difficult patients he'd dealt with in a long time. "I can administer the first injection, and leave instructions with Miss Potts for the rest of the week. And we'll go from there."

"Doctor, how dangerous is it for Tony to go through this treatment at home?" Pepper inquired, distressed that she was being designated responsible for carrying out the treatment, and angry that Tony was insistent on putting them both through this.

"The treatment is substantially risky simply because of how saturated his body is with palladium ions." said the doctor, "The techniques we use to treat this condition are quite pedestrian, however, I must reiterate that Tony is a special case. If something were to go wrong, we may not get to him in time."

Tony wasn't budging, and Pepper planned on giving him a piece of her mind after the doctor left. He was being childish and irrational-- again. Not to mention selfish.

"Essentially the treatment involves giving regular injections of a substance that will bind to the metal ions in Tony's body, creating a compound that can be excreted through normal biological processes. It's called chelation." the doctor explained, "It gets tricky because this purge can cause severe and unexpected symptoms in the patient-- which is why I must recommend--"

"Duly noted, Doctor Nguyen." Tony interjected.

The doctor pursed his lips, "Very well," he reached into his bag and pulled out several vials and syringes, placing them on the bedside table. "He can't have any pain medications that might interfere with the detox process, stick to over the counter drugs-- like tylenol or ibuprofen," taking out his prescription pad, he jotted down some notes and tore off the top sheet, handing it to Pepper, "This is for the lesions on his chest and neck."

Pepper took the prescription, and squinted at the illegible writing, "Lesions? Oh those-- well they're not... lesions."

"Yet." said the doctor, "they may become lesions, depending on how is body reacts to the treatment. If it gets bad, take him to the hospital and call me on the way."

Pepper could swear that Tony had paled several shades, "Define 'bad'," she said.

The doctor sighed, furrowing his brow, "If his blood pressure drops dangerously low, or he loses consciousness. I can't say what you should expect, because I honestly do not know." the doctor regarded her seriously, "Keep him hydrated, he's going to lose a lot of fluids."

He got up to leave, "Oh and, keep him immobilized as much as possible, the ribs will heal nicely." the doctor finished, looking at both of them, he asked, "Do you have any questions for me?"

Pepper shook her head, looking a bit shell-shocked. Tony looked positively queasy, "No." they said, almost at the same time.

"Alright then," said Doctor Nguyen, drawing the contents of one of the vials into a syringe, "this is the first dose. I've left instructions for how and when to administer the remaining treatments," he plunged the needle into Tony's bicep, "His body should start responding within 30 minutes."

Tony winced as the chelating agent flowed into his body, "Is it supposed to burn like this?" he asked the doctor, trying to mask his concern with annoyance.

"Yes," he said, withdrawing the needle and discarding the syringe. He packed up his bag. Pepper thanked him for coming and walked him out of the room.

Once they were out of earshot, she apologized for Tony's behavior, surprised to find that the doctor wasn't actually offended by it and had indeed dealt with more unruly patients. Then she handed him off to Happy, who thanked him again and saw him off.

Pepper returned to Tony's room, and they were alone again. She crossed her arms and said sternly, "Tony... what have you done to us?" she didn't wait for his response, "Why couldn't you just do this like-- like a normal person?" she threw up her hands, now thoroughly annoyed.

Tony looked down, "Sorry. I just... I really hate hospitals." he said, sheepishly.

"You know you could die, right?" she said.

He nodded slowly.

"That doesn't _bother_ you?" she raised her voice, continuing, "Well it bothers me, Tony Stark! So help me, if you die--"

Suddenly Tony groaned, clutching his arm at the injection site. In a matter of minutes, it had become red and inflamed.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Wow reviews! Thanks! :^)

writingmonkey10 – I'm glad you're enjoying it! Thanks a million!

RevolutionChick – You write the best reviews, you know that? :^) I'm so sorry to hear that you were ill, but glad to know that this story helped get you through it! It's great to get so much feedback. I agree with you about Happy. It can't be all Tony/Pepper all the time (well... it *could* be but...)

xamyxisxsnazzyx – You're too funny! I agree with you about the movie though, they coulda added at least a little angst in there for us, couldn't they? (or maybe a decent amount of Tony/Pepper?) Glad you're enjoying the story!

xx xx xx

"Don't scratch it." Pepper chided.

"I scratch because it itches." replied Tony, mater-of-factly, as he continued to alternate between scratching and scrutinizing the rash that had appeared on his arm around the injection site. It didn't hurt at all, anymore, but it itched like crazy.

"I didn't ask why, Tony. I said don't." she retorted, humorlessly.

Pepper had carefully reviewed the instructions and documentation left by Doctor Nguyen. It said that pain and irritation around the injection site were to be expected. She decided not to tell Tony what else the literature had said about possible side-effects of his treatment.

At this point, she was just hoping that she and Happy wouldn't have to rush him to the emergency room. Or, worse, call for a helicopter to evacuate him from Malibu. _Damn his stubbornness, _she thought to herself, _he always has to make everything more difficult than it needs to be. _It was true, and she really didn't understand why. Was it a guy thing? Or could it be his massive-- and, she hated to admit, largely justified-- ego? She'd decided that it was probably both-- and what a horrible combination.

Shifting in bed to find a more comfortable position, Tony asked, "When's this supposed to start working?"

Without looking up, she replied, "Doctor said 30 minutes," she looked at her watch, "It's barely been ten. I'm going to get some coffee. Do you want anything? You should really try to eat before the treatment kicks in."

He grimaced, shaking his head, "Not really hungry right now, Peps."

"You haven't eaten in two days, Tony. I'll make you toast, and some juice. You've got to stay hydrated, the doctor said." she headed for the door, making her exit before he had time to object.

He rolled his eyes as soon as her back was turned, and started fidgeting with the coverlet on his bed. She was acting like his mother. The only good part about this whole situation, he'd decided, was that _Pepper was taking care of him._ In a sense she always took care of him-- but not like this. And she wasn't his assistant anymore, she was by his side because, well, because... _she cares for me _he finished the thought, smiling to himself. He'd already decided that he could get used to this arrangement-- having Pepper by his side, them taking care of one another.

She returned shortly, carrying a tray with lightly-buttered toast, orange juice, black coffee, and some cream. Unfolding the legs of the tray, she placed it over Tony's lap.

"Eat." she commanded gently, taking the coffee and cream back to her chair and placing them on the small table next to it.

He raised his eyebrows and gave her a small smile, "Why, thank you, Miss Potts..." he said, gingerly pushing himself into a sitting position, propped up by pillows. He picked up the toast and took a small bite, suddenly reminded of how famished he was, "I didn't know you could cook."

She shot him a withering glance, "Eat your toast."

"Yes ma'am," he replied, smirking.

Pepper pretended not to hear his snarky reply. She turned on her laptop and began checking email. She was still acting CEO of Stark Industries, and would remain so at least until Tony was well again. There were half a dozen media inquiries about the previous night's debacle at Stark Expo. And then there was the board to contend with. She'd have to address them before anyone else.

She'd dreaded checking her email for this very reason, knowing she'd have to submit a press release explaining what had happened, how Stark Industries hadn't been directly responsible for the incident, and what they were doing to prevent something like this from happening in the future regardless of whose fault it was.

And then there was the issue of what Tony Stark was up to. The media would almost certainly request his input. _How's Tony? Oh, he's doing great. He almost died at the hands of Vanko's drones. Pushed himself to the point of exhaustion, and has spent the last several months suffering from severe palladium poisoning and trying to hide it, _she thought to herself.

No, that part would definitely not be making it into the press release. If it did, the opposite effect would be achieved-- instead of leaving Tony in peace to recover, there would be helicopters buzzing over his house within fifteen minutes of the story breaking. That wouldn't help her, Stark Industries, or Tony. They would have to fabricate some other story to feed the press while Tony was recuperating. At least until he was well enough to speak publicly about the state of Stark Industries and Iron Man.

xx xx xx

Tony's condition started to deteriorate right around the one hour mark post-medication. He'd managed to eat both pieces of toast, but regretted it almost immediately. Trying to shake it off, he'd laid back down, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing carefully. But he knew it was futile, he wasn't going to be able to keep anything down. And now his mouth tasted like metal.

Pepper hadn't noticed his distress until she heard the first of Tony's breakfast hit the bottom of the empty basin that she'd smartly kept within his reach. Looking up from her work, she saw his shoulders heave as he continued to be sick.

She was at his side in an instant, gently rubbing his back in small circles, "Oh, Tony..." she murmured. His body tensed under her hands as he heaved again, almost choking. He groaned, clutching the basin and grimacing at the bitter taste in his mouth. His broken ribs were screaming, and he hugged his torso with one arm as tears welled in his eyes. Sweat soaked through the back of his shirt.

His shoulders sagged as he leaned against her for support, struggling to catch his breath after the spell ended "Pep..." he slurred, all of the snark and bravado from earlier had fled.

She pressed a glass of water to his lips, "Drink," she said. He did so without protest, taking small, careful sips.

"Your fever's spiked again," Pepper pursed her lips as her hand moved from Tony's forehead to caress his cheek.

"Really?" he slurred, leaning into her touch, "Mmm... I can't tell."

She removed the breakfast tray and helped ease him back down onto the bed, "I hurt." he whined.

"I know," she empathized, "I'm sorry."

Every joint in his body felt arthritic, even the slightest motion set off a cascade of pain. He hadn't expected this, and Pepper practically read his mind with her next question: "Do you want to go to the hospital, Tony?"

"Do I?" he asked aloud, as though the decision weren't his to make, "Do I want... do I... no." he replied slowly.

Pepper frowned, but didn't try to argue. She wanted to promise him that it would be all right. That everything would be better soon. But she wasn't going to lie. Instead, she told him, "Try to get some rest."

"Trying," he muttered, massaging his temples.

Before Pepper thought to stop herself, she bent down and kissed his forehead.


End file.
